


Middle Man

by dralexreid



Series: Dr Piper Bishop [59]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Assault, Canon Typical Violence, Drug Use, Gen, Murder, Reference to past injuries, Sexual Assault, Violence, slight whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:29:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28547142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dralexreid/pseuds/dralexreid
Summary: The BAU is called to Indiana to help catch a serial killer who is targeting exotic dancers and leaving their bodies in cornfields. The case takes an interesting turn when the team finds a hole in the investigation when they realize they may be looking for a killing pack.
Relationships: Dr Spencer Reid/Dr Piper Bishop
Series: Dr Piper Bishop [59]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972852
Kudos: 10





	Middle Man

Spencer looked up confused as Penelope led Piper over the team with a large box that covered his girlfriend’s face. “Pen, babe, please let me put this down now,” Piper’s voice came out from behind the box. Penelope waved dismissively and Piper settled the box on the table with a small grunt.

“You okay?” Derek asked as Piper rolled her shoulder gently.

“Fine, my shoulder’s just acting up,” she dismissed his concern, passing him a tablet.

“Welcome to the 21st century,” Penelope said grinning.

“Wha- We’ve gone paperless?” Spencer asked in a soft voice that could melt hearts.

“Fear not, doctor of the dark ages,” Garcia scoffed as Piper sank into her seat. “I went old school for your anti-technology quirk. Paper files, hard copy photos. But the abacus is your responsibility.” Emily snickered.

“Garcia, not that I don't appreciate your efforts,” Hotch said, worriedly in his seat next to Rossi. “But exactly where did the funding for these come from?”

“I did a thing,” Penelope admitted.

“A thing?” Hotch asked as Emily looked between them.

“Best not talk about the thing.”

“We'll talk about the thing later.”

“Okay. Instead, let's talk about harvest season. Because it is harvest season in Indiana, and farmers are finding more than corn in their fields. Meredith Joy, Kimberly Jukes, and Amanda Frye were all discovered murdered in Johnson County, Indiana.” Piper saw three beautiful women flicker on the screen, two blonde and one a brunette.

“All 3 women were exotic dancers living in different counties in the state,” Hotch added. “Kimberly Jukes, the first victim, went missing 6 weeks ago. And in each instance, the women finished their shifts, but they never made it to their cars.”

“Unsub kept them for a day before killing them,” Piper mused, glancing at the dates. “Do we know if they were sexually abused antemortem?” Hotch nodded grimly.

“Meredith Joy has defensive wounds all over her body and the lab discovered two different samples of DNA under her fingernails, so we're dealing with at least a team.”

“One that rapes, beats, and strangles their victims in a cornfield,” Rossi scoffed.

“They're using condoms,” Emily added. “I bet one of these guys has a record and he doesn't want us connecting the DNA.”

“If he's dumping the bodies in the same county, it's a good chance he's located nearby,” Spencer said. “It shouldn't be too hard to work up a geographical profile.”

“And they're accelerating their attack schedule,” Piper noted.

“It's 3 weeks between the first and second kill, 2 weeks between the second and third,” Spencer calculated.

“Meredith Joy died on October 31st,” Penelope said. “Now they’re down to one week.”

“Who’s missing?” Rossi asked.

“Her name is Stephanie Wilson. She was abducted last night from Club Prowl in Tippecanoe county. She finished her shift at midnight, but she never made it home to her 2-year-old daughter. The babysitter called the police, and Stephanie's car was left in the parking lot like the others.”

“And there's a clear pattern,” Hotch said. “All the women have been abducted on Friday night and murdered sometime Sunday evening.”

“Which means we have less than 2 days to save her,” Derek concluded, and Piper gazed at the young woman on her screen, ash blonde hair draped over her shoulders which were covered by a khaki green top. The team filtered out with their files and tablets, making their way to the airstrip.

On the jet, Spencer was perched on the table opposite the group. Hotch was seated next to Rossi in front of Piper and Emily while Derek stood behind them. The ladies had to turn to see what Derek was showing them on his tablet. An overhead shot of the cornfields where the three women were found playing on his tablet with one key change. Lines zigzagged and crossed over the sea of cornstalks.

“Look at the patterns on the cornfields. It's all hard turns and zigzags. They had to have been chasing these women.”

“Maybe they escaped?” Rossi asked.

“Maybe if it was just the one time, but all 3?”

“They let them go so they could chase them again,” Hotch realised. “The women probably thought they were being released.”

“I'd say we're most likely looking for two dominant alpha male personalities,” Derek announced. “But we shouldn't rule out one dominant who allows his submissive to have sex with these victims in order to control them.”

“The dominant unsub more than likely has a history of violence in his adolescence whereas the submissive was probably the one abused,” Piper said.

“Well, it certainly speaks to their arrogance if they're that confident the women won't get away,” Emily said as Piper massaged her shoulder.

“Prostitutes and strippers usually make easy targets,” Rossi continued. “Maybe they need to up the challenge. The hunt could be what gets them off.”

“This kind of confidence doesn't get built overnight,” Hotch said quietly as he leant over to call Garcia. “Garcia, focus on prior sexual crimes in the area.”

_“Yeah, I am compiling as we are face-timing. I'm also running DNA results through unsolved crimes in Indiana and the surrounding states.”_

“Good. Let me know as soon as you find anything.”

“You know, interestingly, all 3 victims had downers and uppers in their system,” Spencer added.

“Well, were the drugs used to subdue the women,” Emily asked, “or is it a ruse to get them to come home with them?”

“Prentiss and Reid, go to the club where Stephanie Wilson worked to find out,” Hotch directed. “Dave, you and Morgan work the dumpsite, and Bishop, you’ll work victimology with me at the local Sheriff's station.” They nodded and Piper moved to get a cup of tea and Spencer followed her, miserably failing at being subtle as he sidled up to her while she waited for the kettle to boil.

“Everything okay?” Piper looked over at him, seeing concern line his forehead.

“Peachy,” she smiled, though not with the same brilliance. Spencer just watched her as she poured the boiling water shakily into the mug. She set the kettle down, gripping the counter as she closed her eyes, willing herself to confess. “I hit a setback. I went to train with Emily after we got back from Detroit and she threw me on my shoulder. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t want her to feel guilty about it.” She rolled her shoulder.

“Did you see a doctor?”

“I had an appointment today,” she admitted.

“Does Hotch—”

“Yeah, I told him before the briefing,” she sighed irritably. “He doesn’t want me in the field unless absolutely necessary.” Before he could open his mouth to ask another question, Piper answered it aggressively. “Yes, I have my pain meds, no, you don’t need to worry about me and yes, I am going to be fine.” Spencer almost flinched at the words especially when she told him to have fun at the dance club. He watched concernedly as Piper sidled past him, jabbed an elbow into a smirking Derek before sinking into her leather seat.

The minute they landed, the team hit the ground running, with Derek and David headed out to the disposal site, Emily and Spencer headed to the club and Hotch and Piper headed to the station. Piper followed Aaron into the station, cautiously stepping towards the office where Sheriff Salters, at least that’s what the assumed from the office nameplate, was ripping into one of his officers.

“You think you can give me the runaround, Kemp?” Officer Kemp stood in front of his sheriff with dignity, unflinching as the man yelled at him. “I don't think so. No one talks to the press save me.” Hotch turned around, masking his murmur to Piper.

“I may need you to talk to the father, alone.” Piper snorted.

“He won’t let us in there alone. Listen to him,” she scoffed, keeping her face casual.

“This is my department, my investigation,” Salters yelled. “Do you understand? You make me look bad. It's not enough I got the FBI coming in. No, now I have to deal with fumbled plays from my own team? Desk duty, 2 weeks. Dismissed.”

“I’ll handle it. I just want you to be prepared.” Hotch turned back around as Officer Kemp strode past them. “Let’s go.” Piper just kept an easy smile in the back as Aaron introduced themselves.

“Sorry about that,” Salters apologised. “One of my guys leaked the news about the dead woman to the press. I needed to, uh, send a message.”

“Why is the investigation being kept a secret?” Aaron asked.

“Well, that was my call. I don't want these guys skipping town before I have a chance to arrest them. This ends in my jurisdiction.”

“Has Stephanie Wilson's father arrived?”

“He's waiting in the conference room. He's pretty messed up about the whole thing.”

“That's understandable.”

“I just don't get it. You know how many strippers and prostitutes I saw get beaten up and raped when I worked the city? Sometimes it's like they're asking for it.” Piper bit her tongue as Aaron narrowed his eyes at the man.

“Nobody asks for this, Sheriff.”

“Not consciously, anyway,” Salters clarified, digging a deeper hole for himself. “Shall we go in?”

“My agent works best alone and both her experience and perspective may convince Mr Wilson to tell us more.” Salters laughed dryly.

“Look, I call it like I see it,” Salters tried.

“These women are victims of heinous crimes. I won't have you judging them in front of their families.”

“And I won't have you telling me how to run my show,” Salters retorted, and Piper scowled. “The governor may have requested your help, but this is my case.”

“It's not a show. It is your case. And you can watch from the outside,” Hotch said firmly before leaving with Piper in tow who couldn’t help smiling as she followed him.

Hotch let himself into the viewing room while Piper stepped into the room with Mr Wilson and Stephanie’s daughter. She held out her hand to shake his, introducing herself. “Can I get you anything before we start? Water, a cup of coffee?”

“No, that’s okay,” he said, keeping a hand on the little girl. Piper smiled softly at her.

“This is Amy?” Mr Wilson nodded from his wheelchair.

“She’s only two years old. Steph said she was making extra money waiting tables at a bar,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “She's my little girl. I didn't question it. God, this is all my fault.”

“No one could have foreseen Stephanie's abduction,” Piper said softly. “It's not your fault.”

“I know, I know. I just, I—I can't—Amy needs her mother. How are you going to help find her?”

“Local law enforcement is looking for your daughter. My team and I are building a profile of her abductors so we can find them as soon as possible,” Piper assured him. “And we won’t stop until we find her.”

* * *

By the time Piper was done interviewing Mr Wilson, the rest of team had arrived. “Wilson didn’t even know his daughter was an exotic dancer,” Piper supplied them.

“Surveillance video has too many blind spots,” Spencer added. “I want to rewind the tapes to all the abduction nights. See if I see anyone in common.”

“They're smart,” Emily thought aloud. “They make a plan of attack before they get to the club, then they separate and choose their prey.”

“We're definitely looking for a local,” Derek added. “We should position black-and-whites in the area. We might be able to spot the unsubs before their next hunt.”

“Garcia should pull surveillance footage of gas stations, too,” Rossi continued. “They have to be getting their fuel somewhere.” Piper nodded, dialling Garcia’s direct line.

“Garcia, were either of the other clubs having theme nights when the girls went missing?” Emily asked, hoping to discover a lead for the profile.

_“Oh, my gosh. All of them. Meredith Joy was abducted on Dollar Draft night, Amanda Frye on Ladies Night, and Kimberly Jukes on Fantasy Football Friday.”_

“They're targeting nights that the clubs were at capacity, so they won't be easily recognized by the security cameras,” Derek realised when Reid piped up from his desk.

“Guys, I think I found our unsubs.” Intrigued, the team joined him at the desk he was currently occupying. Piper leaned over his shoulder to get a good look at the screen, her vanilla perfume distracting him for a moment. “These guys have gotten dances from half the girls in the club. They're very careful to hide their faces from the cameras.” Piper pointed to the man obscured by a dancer on the right, holding a thumb down in clear view.

“He looks like he’s communicating with someone across the room,” she added before straightening.

“Do we have another angle, Garcia?”

_“No luck, head Hotch-o, the other camera faces the door.”_

“If there's a third unsub, we could be looking at a pack,” Hotch said grimly.

“That makes sense,” Emily reasoned. “If these two in the booths are underlings, they would look to the pack leader to choose the target.”

“That's why they abduct the women from the parking lot,” Rossi added.

“Stephanie only knew about the first two men,” Spencer recalled, swivelling his head to glance at Rossi. “If there was a third, she never would have seen them coming.”

“Garcia, any luck with the DNA database?” Piper asked.

_“Nothing in a 5-state radius, but I am opening my parameters to nationwide. That is gonna take some time, though.”_

“That's the one thing we don't have,” Rossi said. “We have 24 hours before Stephanie Wilson ends up in a cornfield.”

“We might even have less than that,” Hotch cautioned as Piper wrinkled her forehead.

“What do you mean?” Salters asked aggressively.

“Two unsubs working toward a common goal is one thing. Add a third and all bets are off.”

“We only found two traces of DNA,” Derek added. “One of them probably doesn't know about the murders.”

“The pack hierarchy will start to break down,” Rossi expanded. “They'll question their leader.”

“And when that happens, the Alpha will have to reassert his authority,” Hotch finished, “and Stephanie Wilson will be the object of his aggression.” Derek turned to Piper whose forehead was still wrinkled in thought.

“If he didn’t know about the murders yet, he does now,” Piper said softly. “When we walked in, Sheriff, you said there was a leak about Meredith Joy’s body.”

“It’s already started to break down,” Spencer realised.

“Each woman was abducted Friday night and weren’t killed until Sunday,” she recalled from the briefing that morning. “Then they wait a week or two before the next one, why?”

“Could be blue-collar,” Rossi offered. “They like the game, but they can't let it interfere with their jobs.”

“I don't think so,” Hotch argued gently. “The pack strikes not only on the clubs' busiest nights but also the cheapest. They have a limited income, they blend in with a young crowd, and they're unavailable Monday to Friday.”

“If one of them is from out of state,” Piper said, “that would explain why they didn't start their killing until the summer was over.”

“I think we have our profile,” Hotch said and immediately the rest of the profilers followed while Piper remained on the phone with Garcia.

* * *

Hotch stood in front of the police officers, flanked by four other profilers. “We believe the men we're looking for are college students. That's why the killings coincided with the beginning of the fall semester.”

“This means they're most likely in their late teens to mid-20s, but don't rule out older students who transferred in or enlisted in the military right out of high school,” Emily added.

“Right now, we're canvassing colleges in the area,” Derek reported. “College students are impressionable kids eager to fit in and find their place in the world. This environment is conducive to the creation of a pack.”

“In a typical pack, not all members are created equally,” Spencer explained, his hands gesturing as he spoke. “There'll be a dominant one, an alpha personality who's most likely the oldest member of the group. We believe he could be from out of state and has likely committed similar crimes before.”

“The lieutenant will be fiercely loyal to the pack leader,” Emily continued. “The alpha demands this. He probably comes from a broken home where he felt a loss the dominant was able to fill.”

“And finally, we have the follower, the newest member of the pack,” Derek finished. “He hasn't cemented his loyalty to the Alpha when already he's starting to question his role in the group. It's unlikely this member is privy to the pack leader's ultimate agenda.”

“It won't be long before the dominant realizes the low man is a liability,” Hotch said. “We need to find this man before the pack eliminates him.”

“How do we do that?” Salters asked.

“We drive a wedge between them,” Rossi said. “Amp up the pressure. This is our best chance of finding Stephanie alive.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Piper paced in an inside room as the sun went down, away from any distractions, focusing on narrowing down the search. Her shoulder was throbbing, and the meds weren’t helping. “Try cross-referencing similar crimes with DNA matches,” Piper said, running a hand through her hair.

_“Okay, okay, I can keep the search specific to sexual assaults, women in the same age bracket.”_

“Maybe filter it down to crimes committed on the weekend.” Piper pinched the bridge of her nose. “He was probably still in college and the crime must have been sloppy if he skipped states. Transferring would have been the perfect cover.”

 _“Okay, that is processing, anything else?”_ Piper interlaced her fingers around the nape of her neck, continuing to pace.

“Yeah, go through college rolls state-wide. Focus on sophomores and seniors. Look for any records of violence on campus. It can be anything, assault against a student, a professor, reports of harassment. Whatever you’ve got,” Piper clarified, stopping to perch on a table.

_“Oof, that’s a big list.”_

“See if any of them involved another student, probably a—a freshman.”

_“It’s shorter, but still a big list.”_

“Okay, this younger student’s gotta be isolated, he’s not in a community or a fraternity.”

_“Filtering down as we speak. What else you got?”_

“We know our dominant’s out of state, can you cross-reference any transfers?”

_“I’ve got 15 transfers scattered across the state unaffiliated with fraternities and communities.”_

“Oh!” Piper remembered something from the profile. “Employment history. Check for anyone who’s consistently busy on weekends.”

 _“That’s 5 people with violent streaks. And my DNA results are processing.”_ Garcia said. “ _Got it, CODIS, you beautiful genius, okay. You listening?”_

“Yeah, I’m here,” Piper announced. “What do you have?”

_“So, CODIS bounced back a DNA match to a series of rapes in Louisiana. DNA matched only one unsub, but there's another sample in the Louisiana cases.”_

“So, he had different partners, pack fell apart, he moved on.”

_“Yeah, Louisiana P.D. were crazy close to solving who done it, but then the rapes stopped. Two locals went missing and they pinned the crimes on them.”_

“Pen, the college kids with a violent streak, any of them from Louisiana?” Piper asked, leaning on her elbows against the desk

 _“No, nothing from there. Sorry.”_ Piper leaned on the table, thinking harder.

“What about expelled students or drop-outs?” she proposed. “He wouldn’t be on the list if he doesn’t go to college anymore.”

_“I am looking for any students that dropped out or were expelled after altercations, state-wide and…I’ve got about 2 dozen students.”_

“They would be unaffiliated too,” Piper tried. “Either rejected or kicked out of fraternities.”

“ _Filtering down…yep. Narrowed down to half a dozen. What next?”_ Piper sighed deeply.

“Anyone from Louisiana that transferred after the rapes?”

_“Molto bene. Michael Kosina of Louisiana goes to Ernstrom College. He was kicked out of Kappa Iota Phi after questionable sexual conduct with a student in 2004. The charges were dropped. But the incident earned the fraternity probation from its national chapter. Michael dropped out after he got into an altercation with one of his professors.”_

“Makes sense, our dominant would have authority issues. Find his address, give it to Morgan. I’m gonna let Hotch know, and then we can start looking for the lieutenant and the follower.” She tore out of the small confines of the room out into the bullpen, looking for her boss, finding his signature dead expression in a corner of the room as the officers dispersed with the profile.

“Garcia found him,” Piper announced. “Michael Kosina, he was a student at Ernstrom College. Transferred from Louisiana which just so happened to have a prior series of rapes that just happens to match one of our DNA samples. She’s looking for the address.”

She grinned and Rossi lunged to press a kiss to her forehead. Morgan and Prentiss left immediately, thanking her while Rossi had to pull Reid away so they could follow. Hotch ordered Bishop to stay put and he followed his team out. Resignedly, the doctor watched as her family filed out of the station and into danger.

* * *

Morgan arrived first, his SUV pulling up to a large house and the duo tore out of the car and up to the door. Derek put his ear to the door, hearing whimpers. But they weren’t filtering from the door. They came from a grate by the side of the house. Plucking a wedge pin from her hair, Emily bent down to force the grate open. The light was still on and Emily could see a pole fixed to the centre of the basement. More importantly, a set of handcuffs pinned a bruised and blindfolded young woman to the pole itself. Impatient, Derek kicked the door down, raising his gun to clear the front of the house while Rossi and Reid’s SUV pulled in and they raced to the back. Emily forged downstairs to find Stephanie, successfully cracking the handcuffs open as Spencer sprinted down the steps. Finally free, Stephanie hugged Emily as Spencer shed his blazer. Stephanie took it gratefully and asked to go home. Hotch guided her to the car.

While Reid was more than happy to take Stephanie to the hospital, Hotch spread out the next part of their plan. The house was empty, which meant Kosina was probably getting rid of the weakest link. They already had officers stationed at the disposal sites, but Rossi was quick to doubt if Kosina wouldn’t try a different site to deposit the body. Derek agreed, suggesting the stake out the place instead. That was how Derek found himself in a face full of dirt, lying low with Emily on the opposite side as they staked the house. Casually dressed officers were called in too, littered in different spots as the sun came up and by breakfast time, a truck pulled up to the house and Emily called them in. Cars piled in as warm sunlight shone on Emily’s skin. The sound of retching echoed through the house.

Michael Kosina was the first into the basement and he opened the door to reveal an empty pole. He rushed forward, cursing, a million questions running in his mind until one final thought settled in his head as the barrel of a gun pressed against his lower back. “FBI,” someone drawled. “Hands up.” Michael obliged and the barrel moved until he saw a tall, middle-aged man in a white button-up and red tie, complete with a dark blazer raising a gun at his face and he felt his hands wrenched behind him, the sound of handcuffs satisfyingly clicking behind him.

“You’re under arrest for the abduction and sexual assault of Kimberly Jukes, Amanda Frye, Meredith Joy and Stephanie Wilson as well as being an accomplice to the murder of Scott Kagan,” the agent said, a slight Italian accent to his voice. There was only one thought that crossed his mind, one last thing he could do.

“The Feds are here, run!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs.

“I can’t,” a miserable voice said behind him and Michael wrenched himself over to see Chris Salters handcuffed behind a tall, black agent with a simple dark polo shirt, and a young white woman with jet-black hair and a blue button-up.

* * *

“So, the sheriff’s son was the lieutenant?” Spencer asked Piper who tossed a fry in her mouth as they sat with Stephanie in the hospital, busy devouring a cheeseburger. Piper nodded genially until Spencer took a long sip of his coffee.

“Spence,” she barked at him, confiscating his cup. “Stop with the coffee. The case is over, you don’t need it.”

“So, did they get the guys?” Stephanie asked quietly. Piper nodded with a smile.

“Michael Kosina was the leader of the group that abducted you. Our boss arrested him 10 minutes ago. The lieutenant was the sheriff’s son, Christopher Salters. Chris was abused severely by his father and Michael offered him protection. Scott Kagan, the guy I went to see with Salters Sr, he seems to have been the follower. He was rejected from the same fraternity as Chris and Michael and had multiple records for marijuana and cocaine possession.” She rose from her seat, taking a seat on the bed beside her. “Those men cannot hurt you,” she assured her as Mr Wilson rolled in in his wheelchair, a young Amy on his lap. Spencer removed the tray as Piper slowly lifted the 2-year-old girl on the bed and the two doctors left the family to reconnect. Spencer wrapped an arm around Piper’s waist as the couple walked to the SUV parked outside, feeling the warm November sun on their skin before clambering into the car.

* * *

Everyone was packing up, half the team at the hotel grabbing bags, the other half packing up files and photos. Aaron placed the last lid on his last box, handing it over to Derek to put away as he glanced through the conference room window to see Sheriff Salters with his head in his hand. It might lead to a fight, Aaron told himself as he approached the office. It might do them no good, he thought as he knocked his knuckles against the open door, catching the sheriff attention. “It’s time for us to go,” he announced, and the sheriff nodded slowly as Aaron stepped forward.

“You know, I keep asking myself what I did wrong. How did my son become a murderer?” Salters met Aaron’s discerning gaze.

“There's an answer that a profiler could give you, but you don't need to hear that. And you don't need any criticism from me. All I can say is that in my own life, I try to run a very tight ship at work, and then when I come home, I try to give my son all the love and compassion and understanding that he deserves. And I'm not saying this is your failing, but something made Chris vulnerable.” Salters shifted his gaze, focusing on something arbitrary before looking into his lap.

“I know I've lost him,” Salters admitted.

“I don't think you have,” Aaron said bluntly.

“It's going to take every connection I've ever had to keep him off death row.” Salters met Aaron’s gaze again as he retorted.

“And after that, he's going to need you more than ever. Chris is lost,” Aaron admitted. “But he doesn't have to spend the rest of his life that way.”

“What can I do?”

“Be there for him. Make amends. And help him do the same.” Aaron extended an arm to Salters and he rose from his seat to shake it. “Good luck.

“Thank you.” Aaron dropped his hand with his gaze before turning to walk out the door, shedding another case’s trauma.


End file.
